Stump grinding in Old Southwest Reno (89509)

This is the oldest housing we work around in Reno. The median home in ZIP 89509 dates from 1975 and about 63% were built before 1980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). The streets are lined with trees older than most of the people living under them.

At a glance

• About 25% of homes in ZIP 89509 predate 1960
• Large stumps with wide root flares and surface roots
• Contact Reno's Urban Forester before digging within 10 feet of a public tree
• About 33 miles from our yard on US 50 East

How big is the job when the tree was 70 years old?

Bigger than the trunk suggests. An old shade tree widens at the ground into a flare, and from the flare the main roots head out just under the surface. What looks like a three-foot stump can be a six-foot patch of wood once the grass is pulled back.

Decide how far you want to go. Grinding the stump and flare gets rid of the obstacle. Chasing surface roots across the lawn is extra work that makes sense where they lift the mower or you plan to lay sod. The estimate will list exactly what is included, because all estimates are tailored to each client and their needs.

What about the street tree next to it?

Old Southwest lots are narrow, and many streets have trees in the planting strip between the walk and the curb. For a front-yard stump, measure the distance to the nearest one. The Truckee Meadows Water Authority's summary of local ordinances says Reno's tree ordinance requires anyone working within 10 feet of publicly owned trees to contact the City's Urban Forester before any digging.

If the stump itself stands in the planting strip, it belongs to the City. Work there needs a Tree Work Permit and has to be done by a Certified Arborist. Call Reno Urban Forestry at 775-321-8373 to find out which side of the line your stump is on.

Roots, walks and what is under them

Old trees and old concrete do not get along. Where a root has lifted a walk or a driveway edge, grinding the stump does not put the slab back down, and cutting roots under paving is a separate decision. Our guide to tree roots, sidewalks and sewer lines explains what can and cannot be fixed from above.

Older houses also have older pipes. Water and sewer lines here have had decades of roots growing toward them. An 811 request, made a few business days ahead, gets the utilities to mark their lines. Sprinkler pipe and anything on your side of the meter are yours to point out.

How does a machine get into a 1940s backyard?

Sometimes through a gate that was built for a push mower. Sometimes down an alley. Measure the narrowest point on the way in and say whether there is alley access behind the lot. If the only route is through the neighbor's side, sort out permission before the visit.

• Narrowest gate or passage on the route
• Alley access, if any
• Steps, raised beds and old brick edging in the way
• Overhead clearance under porches and arbors

Will an old elm or cottonwood stump come back?

It will try. Siberian elm, cottonwood, poplar and black locust are strong sprouters, the kind of fast shade trees planted on older Northern Nevada lots. Grinding the stump is the first step in stopping the shoots. If the stump is left over from one of our crane removals in Old Southwest Reno, it can be on the same estimate.